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Posted on Fri, Jan 14, 2011 : 8:57 a.m.

George Clooney may spend a few days in Ann Arbor shooting 'The Ides of March'

By Jenn McKee

Thumbnail image for George Clooney.jpg

Actor/director George Clooney reportedly hopes to do "a few days" of filming in Ann Arbor for his newest film project, "The Ides of March," according to Kay Seaser, the film liaison for the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Clooney scouted a few sites on the University of Michigan campus in November, and U-M Film Office director Lee Doyle wrote in an e-mail, "We are working with his people to make it work, but nothing is locked in yet."

Two locations scouted by Clooney and his team were the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre and The Walgreen Drama Center.

According to several news reports, filming will primarily take place in Cincinnati and Detroit beginning in February.

Clooney will both direct and star in "Ides," which is a screen adaptation of an off-Broadway play called "Farragut North," by Beau Willimon. The story is loosely based on the rise and fall of Howard Dean during the 2004 Democratic primaries, and focuses on a wunderkind press secretary whose tryst with a teenage staffer has unforeseen consequences.

The roster of stars linked to the film includes Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Evan Rachel Wood. Plus, Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the film's producers.

A call for Detroit-area extras was posted on MichiganActing.com in mid-December (and the notice states that extras will be needed in March).

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.

Comments

DaLast word

Sun, Jan 16, 2011 : 12:10 p.m.

I have a spare room if he needs it.